NINE new faces vying for World Cup spots

The Springboks are seemingly repeating what worked for them in 2019 but Rassie Erasmus has refused to stick exactly to the playbook.

Split squads – tick.

Arriving well before schedule – tick.

Similar squad to four years ago – tick, well sort of …

The mainstay of the defending champions will be on the plane to France but all is not lost for those who have been on the fringes of the Springboks over the past few seasons.

This has been confirmed by Rassie Erasmus himself.

NINE new faces vying for World Cup spots

“Ox Nche wasn’t at the previous World Cup, Joseph Dweba, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, Jaden (Hendrikse), Grant (Wiliams), Manie (Libbok), Canan (Moodie), Kurt-Lee (Arendse) … So, people like to say we are just going on with the same squad, but I’ve just mentioned nine guys who are probably really close to making the World Cup squad,” Erasmus told the media recently when announcing his latest Springboks training camp squad.

That’s four Stormers in the mix following two great years in the United Rugby Championship.

2023 Rugby World Cup is the pinnacle

he Springboks will begin their preparations for the Rugby Championship at a training camp in Pretoria from Monday 12 to Friday 30 June, with the team slotting into match mode the following week for their opening match against Australia at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, 8 July.

Nienaber’s charges will then depart for New Zealand for their second Test of the condensed version of the competition against the All Blacks at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland (15 July), before returning to South Africa for their closing match against Argentina in Johannesburg (29 July).

REVEALED: When the Boks’ World Cup squad will be named

The Springboks will play three Rugby World Cup warm-up matches: against Argentina in Buenos Aires (Saturday, 5 August), Wales in Cardiff (Saturday, 19 August) and New Zealand in London (Friday, 25 August) respectively.

They will then make their way to France for the international extravaganza where they face Scotland in Marseille (Sunday, 10 September), Romania in Bordeaux (Sunday, 17 September), Ireland in Paris (Saturday, 23 September) and Tonga in Marseille (Sunday, 1 October) during the pool stages.

South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber added: “The last four years have passed by at a rapid pace and it is almost surreal that we are 100 days out from Rugby World Cup 2023 in France. Given the meticulous planning by the organisers and the fantastic stadiums and facilities in the host cities, we believe it will be a memorable Rugby World Cup for the participating teams and fans attending the event. The competition among the top sides in the world is intense, and we know that we need to be at our best in each match to be in contention to defend the title.” 

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SPRINGBOKS 2023 TEST FIXTURES

Rugby Championship

8 July: Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)

✈ 15 July: South Africa vs New Zealand (Mount Smart, Auckland)

29 July: South Africa vs Argentina (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

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World Cup warm-ups

✈ 5 August: South Africa vs Argentina (Vélez Stadium, Buenos Aires)

✈ 19 August: South Africa vs Wales (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

✈ 25 August: Springboks vs New Zealand (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Rugby World Cup

✈ 10 September: South Africa vs Scotland (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille) 

✈ 17 September: Springboks vs Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux) 

✈ 23 September: South Africa vs Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris) 

✈ 1 October: Springboks vs Tonga (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)